Advice on what to eat/drink pre- and post workout?

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LemeursKind
LemeursKind Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everyone,

I just started my weight loss journey and I need to drop 95 pounds. I am currently taking 2 zumba classes and one yoga class per week but I struggle because on some days I feel like I have no energy to do the classes.

One of my friends suggested eating a banana about an hour to 2 hours before I go to work out and I must say it did make a difference. I'm on a 100% natural diet and I'm looking for ideas on healthy food/drinks/smoothies - so NO energy bars/protein shakes/whey etc. because they all contain some kind of preservative.

What do you eat/drink before a workout for energy and post workout to replenish nutrients?

Replies

  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Coffee before, if in the AM. Lunch a few hours before, if in the PM.

    If in the AM, breakfast after. If in the PM, dinner after.

    How many Calories are you eating? And are you eating your Calories that you've earned through exercise? If not and/or you're eating too few Calories to begin with, you'd probably be better off just eating a bit more than you would trying to mess around with nutrient timing.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    lol all natural diet? doesn't matter, carbs I guess before and whatever after.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I don't eat anything specific, honestly. It really doesn't matter unless you're an athlete.
  • LemeursKind
    LemeursKind Posts: 16 Member
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    TR0berts wrote: »
    Coffee before, if in the AM. Lunch a few hours before, if in the PM.

    If in the AM, breakfast after. If in the PM, dinner after.

    How many Calories are you eating? And are you eating your Calories that you've earned through exercise? If not and/or you're eating too few Calories to begin with, you'd probably be better off just eating a bit more than you would trying to mess around with nutrient timing.

    At the moment I'm on 1350 calories a day (without exercise as estimated by MFP to lose 2 lbs per week). I try not to eat the exercise calories, and when I do I only eat about less than half of what I acquired through exercise. Should I eat more?
  • LemeursKind
    LemeursKind Posts: 16 Member
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    LazSommer wrote: »
    lol all natural diet? doesn't matter, carbs I guess before and whatever after.

    Not sure why that is so funny!?! By "all natural" I meant no highly processed food such as sugar, bread etc.(basically anything that comes out of a box). Should I say "plain" instead?
  • LUHAN27
    LUHAN27 Posts: 211 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Pro-workout: Coffee w/ very minimal creamer(if I have time)
    Post-workout: Homemade juice with spinach and fruit(since you said no protein drinks)
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    LemeursKind wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    lol all natural diet? doesn't matter, carbs I guess before and whatever after.

    Not sure why that is so funny!?! By "all natural" I meant no highly processed food such as sugar, bread etc.(basically anything that comes out of a box). Should I say "plain" instead?

    I would use unsustainable as the word of choice.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    For weights:

    Carbs and caffeine pre workout. This can be a granola bar or cereal with coffee or sugar free energy drink, or just an energy drink

    Carbs and protein post.
    Dinner since I work out in the evening.

    For cycling/walking
    Sometimes fasted with caffeine, sometimes a little carb and caffeine. Nothing much post.
  • FaileAybara
    FaileAybara Posts: 21 Member
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    It may be unsustainable for you, but that does not mean unsustainable for others. Many people (including myself) find themselves with health issues that require limiting things like sodium. At this point, the only way I can make my sodium goals and still eat anything remotely satisfying is to eliminate almost all processed food from my diet.

    Doing your best to eat a whole food diet is not unsustainable at all.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    FaileAybara wrote: »
    It may be unsustainable for you, but that does not mean unsustainable for others. Many people (including myself) find themselves with health issues that require limiting things like sodium. At this point, the only way I can make my sodium goals and still eat anything remotely satisfying is to eliminate almost all processed food from my diet.

    Doing your best to eat a whole food diet is not unsustainable at all.

    ok
  • LemeursKind
    LemeursKind Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank you LUNAH27 and cerise_noir your info is very helpful! I'll try the granola, spinach and fruit! :)
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Isn't granola processed?
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    LemeursKind wrote: »
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Coffee before, if in the AM. Lunch a few hours before, if in the PM.

    If in the AM, breakfast after. If in the PM, dinner after.

    How many Calories are you eating? And are you eating your Calories that you've earned through exercise? If not and/or you're eating too few Calories to begin with, you'd probably be better off just eating a bit more than you would trying to mess around with nutrient timing.

    At the moment I'm on 1350 calories a day (without exercise as estimated by MFP to lose 2 lbs per week). I try not to eat the exercise calories, and when I do I only eat about less than half of what I acquired through exercise. Should I eat more?

    Well, 2 lb per week is 1000 Calories less per day than what you'd eat to maintain your weight. That's a significant difference - 1350 of 2350 ~ 57% of what you'd "normally" eat. 2 lb per week is a rather aggressive goal, depending on how much you have to lose. It might be fine, as I don't know your height/weight, but you might find changing your goal to 1 or 1.5 lb per week will help. Those goals will give you 500 or 250, respectively, more Calories per day.

    Sure, you might not lose as fast as you were initially hoping, but you'll probably feel better and have more energy, I'd think.
  • LemeursKind
    LemeursKind Posts: 16 Member
    edited September 2016
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    astrampe wrote: »
    Isn't granola processed?

    You can make granola using raw oats, raw nuts, honey etc. ;) Unlike store bought granola it has significantly less oil and sugar.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    Depends upon the type of activity you're engaging in that day. From an athletic perspective you should eat to perform. If I am have an all out cardio day I know I'm going to be burning up my sugars and sweating a lot! So I usually like to have a piece of fruit an hour or so before for the quick sugar energy that burns up in class and for the hydration. Also a lot of fiber to keep my stomach at bay but not doing a lot of bouncing around in there :smile: If it's too early I just grab a black coffee... caffeine releases fat into the blood stream, that's what gives you the energy. Chug a coffee shortly before a workout on an empty stomach and burn that fat/energy. If I am lifting heavy that day I load up again on the energies before the session and if I can't eat real food right after I make sure to have a good quality plant based protein shake shortly after, something with high protein, average carbs, BCAAs and gluatamine. Typically my window is one to two hours before a work out and within an hour (if possible) after. If I can only fit in a snack a yogurt will do the trick.

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